Happy release day to author Jude Berman! This one sounds like a good read! Good and also a bit chilling! There’s also a chance to win 1 of 5 paperback copies. Be sure to enter below!
The Die: A Novel
Publication Date: April 2, 2024
Genre: Techno-Thriller
Darah, a tech writer living in the democratic nation of California, is dismayed to see the game she’s helping develop for a Silicon Valley tech company has been tampered with. When her hacker friend Jedd investigates, he uncovers a conspiracy that could change the nation—and the world.
With a circle of close friends, Jedd digs deeper and deeper into the darknet and exposes the unthinkable: an app is being developed that uses quantum computing and neuroscience to alter people’s brains, totally unbeknownst to them. As the friends realize the devastating impact of this technology, they’re presented with a dilemma: stay quiet and stay safe, or risk their lives to stand up to the international authoritarian force behind this plot?
Combining activist, techno-thriller, and metaphysical fiction elements and scaffolded on three realities—the ancient wisdom of the Mahabharata, our current sociopolitical reality, and the near future—The Die is a fast-paced story about friendship, courage, and democracy.
Jude Berman grew up amid floor-to-ceiling shelves of books in many languages. In addition to a love of literature, her refugee parents instilled in her a deep appreciation for cultural diversity and social justice. Jude has a BA in art from Smith College and an EdD in cross-cultural communication from UMass Amherst. After a career in academic research, she built a freelance writing and editing business and ran two small independent presses. In her free time, she volunteers for progressive causes, paints with acrylic watercolors, gardens, meditates, and blogs at https://judeberman.org. Jude lives in Berkeley, California, where she continues to work with authors and write fiction.
To celebrate the upcoming release of the final book in the series on April 8th, we’re taking you back to The Curse of the Crow!
The Curse of The Crow: A Soulmate Romance (The Wicked Kingdom Book 1)
Publication Date: August 2021
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Hidden Identities
Slow Burn
Delicious Angst
Morally Gray Fae MMC
Burn the World for Each Other
One Bed
Powerful but Awkward FMC
Denied Soul Mates
Destined to love each other. Determined to fight their fate.
Nava Forrest stumbled upon her soulmate when she was young. A brief meeting with a hooded stranger forever bound her to a wicked man she wanted nothing to do with. Running from his dark power, her parents escaped to the non-magical town of Willowbrook to keep her safe.
Now that they are gone, her life raising her younger brother and selling potions to wary townsfolk has been quiet… and magic-free. When the Society of Crows finds Nava, intent on imprisoning her, it forces her to flee to the forest, searching for the only person she was told can protect her.
Arkimedes is not what she expects, and her attraction to him is unnerving. As the chemistry between them grows, so does her power. But the secrets he keeps threatens to tear her world apart. With the Society closing in, it forces them to put aside their differences and fight to escape their oppressors. But will they escape destiny?
Escape to a new magical world in The Curse of the Crow! Action packed, sexy, and perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout and C.N. Crawford.
Reader advisory: This book contains mature themes, adult language and intimate scenes.
The Curse of the Crow is the first book in a trilogy, based on the Wicked Kingdom verse.
From Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky comes a far-future epic that confirms his place as a modern master of science fiction, in which a political prisoner must unlock the secrets of a strange and dangerous planet.
The planet of Kiln is where the tyrannical Mandate keeps its prison colony, and for inmates, the journey there is always a one-way trip. One such prisoner is Professor Arton Daghdev, xeno-ecologist and political dissident. Soon after arrival, he discovers that Kiln has a secret. Humanity is not the first intelligent life to set foot there.
In the midst of a ravenous, chaotic ecosystem are the ruins of a civilization, but who were the vanished builders and where did they go? If he can survive both the harsh rule of the camp commandant and the alien horrors of the world around him, then Arton has a chance at making a discovery that might just transform not only Kiln, but distant Earth as well.
Adrian Tchaikovsky was born in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, and headed off to university in Reading to study psychology and zoology. For reasons unclear even to himself, he subsequently ended up in law. Adrian has since worked as a legal executive in both Reading and Leeds and now writes full time. He also lives in Leeds, with his wife and son. Adrian is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor. He has also trained in stage-fighting and keeps no exotic or dangerous pets of any kind—possibly excepting his son.
My thoughts: sent to an off world prison camp on a planet 30 years from Earth, Professor Arton Daghdev and his fellow prisoners work in the dangerous wildness of Kiln – a planet with similar atmospheric conditions to Earth but with very different lifeforms.
The prisoners are assisting in an attempt to understand the science, but as Kiln doesn’t fit into the Mandate’s orthodoxy, and the “builders” of Kiln don’t resemble humans in any way, shape or form.
After their flyer is destroyed and they are attacked by one of the creatures of Kiln, Arton and his team must make the dangerous trek back to the camp. But during the long walk they begin to understand the truth of Kiln and its life.
At first I struggled to get into this book, but once I began to understand what was going on in the camp and what Arton and the others were up against in the form of the commandant and his war on Kiln’s wildlife, and how its many organisms worked together, I really began to get into the story. Especially after the Excursions team find themselves fighting for survival on the planet’s surface.
I found it an interesting warning against orthodoxy, political oppression and believing that everything must be as it is here on Earth, rather than accepting that some things are beyond our understanding if we don’t open our minds.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own
A single biology teacher who’s sworn off men can keep it friendly with a hot doctor…or can she?
It’s been six months since Tanith Kerrigan decided to embrace singlehood for one reason—to be nothing like the woman she calls Deandra. Also known as her mother. When Tanith badly sprains her ankle while trying to photograph birds in a…naughty…moment, magnetic Dr. Luke Caldwell offers his expertise and more. But having Dr. Temptation around isn’t the type of medicine she wants or needs in her life.
A single sports medicine doctor can control his crush on a captivating teacher…or can he?
For six months, Luke Caldwell has been fighting serious interest in a woman who doesn’t like him…as well as desiring more than big city life. But after Tanith injures her ankle, he seizes an opportunity to help her outside the examination room. Surely the fine high school teacher will warm up to him after spending time together? Before Luke can process what little armor Tanith lowers, his practice is hit with a colossal problem that could ruin everything he’s built.
As Tanith and Luke ease into the realm of possibilities, they find themselves up against individuals who force them to face what they want and need most. Brains, quips, and brawn continue to merge beyond the classroom in Passion Under the Microscope, Book Two in the Smart is Seriously Sexy Series.
Christine Miles is a full-time writer living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. An avid reader and writer since elementary school, Her passion for literature inspired her to pursue a BA in English and an MA in Creative Writing. Christine writes YA and Adult Contemporary Romances with sassy, independent heroines and swoony heroes who love them for their strength. When not writing romances, she loves traveling, binge-watching shows on streaming apps, reading mysteries and thrillers, listening to music, and spending quality time with her family, friends, and dog.
My thoughts: this is a really fun rom com about a biology teacher who sprains her ankle badly and the doctor who helps her out, and how they fall in like and then in love.
Tanith Kerrigan is a tough lady, she’s not planning on falling in love anytime soon and doesn’t want to end up like her much married mother, who is not a particularly nice woman. She’s put up walls to protect herself and doesn’t want to take them down.
But the dashing Dr Luke Caldwell is determined to take them down. Between painting walls and singing (badly), he has some pretty troubled problems at work to sort out but it won’t stop him from winning over Tanith. Especially since she lives in the same small town as his brother and his girlfriend – who is Tanith’s best friend and colleague. Could it be any more perfect?
This was sweet, fun and romantic, Tanith is a great character as is Luke, both of them seem like good people dealing with some difficult stuff, and in need of finding love and happiness.
We’re thrilled to share the cover for upcoming release The Island of Forever by Jeremy Harrison!
The Island of Forever
Expected Publication Date: June 18, 2024
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/LGBTQ+
🌴Coming-of-Age
🌴First Love
🌴Hidden Identity
🌴Chosen One
🌴Friends to Lovers
He’s his own worst enemy—and their only salvation.
Seventeen-year-old Max Greenfell grew up hearing stories about the Island of Forever—a beautiful paradise of intrigue and magic that was once controlled by a destructive shapeshifter who killed everything in his path. When monsters roamed its sandy shores, and the island’s magic began to dwindle, a hero emerged to overcome the evil and restore the land.
But all good stories have an end—and fairy tales are just that—or so he thought.
When a strange storm sweeps through his town, Max finds himself washed upon the shores of the fabled utopia. Faced with bullying and overwhelming anxiety at school, he finds solace in the island’s allure, creating a better reality to confront. But his arrival has disrupted the world’s balance, threatening to unleash the shapeshifter once more.
With help from a snarky merman and a pistol-wielding fairy, Max must embark on a dangerous adventure to ensure the island’s safety. Returning home will be a challenging journey, requiring him to confront his deepest emotions, confide in his closest allies, and survive an encounter with his greatest foe: himself.
How beautiful is this cover?! Alder King Spring by Talia Greer is coming out on April 30th and you can pre-order now!
Alder King Spring (Wild Wanderings Book 2 – Standalone)
Expected Publication Date: April 30, 2024
Genre: Paranormal Romance/ Shifter Romance
⛈️Grumpy/Sunshine
🌲Small Town Wooded Setting
✨Woodland Magic
🔥Slow Burn
💭Sentient Forest
🏳️🌈Demisexual and Bisexual Rep
🕰️Loose Beauty and the Beast Vibes
📖German Folklore Inspiration
As his curse’s deadline approaches, Kaspar and his beloved enchanted forest stand on the brink of doom.
Deep in the snowy forests of Germany, the Alder King of legend runs short on time. Cursed by a vengeful sorceress for his father’s misdeeds, Kaspar’s desperate quest for the one elusive remedy–love–becomes increasingly dire. Each passing day, his hope dwindles, for who could ever see past his face, marred by the scars of ancient magic?
Eliza Wilson has two missions: write her dissertation, and savor her fleeting days of freedom. Her fiance considers her interests pointless, and while her family loves him, Eliza longs for a deeper connection. With their wedding on the horizon, this research trip is her last chance to indulge her interest in all things mythical.
Though the country house she rents a room in is breathtaking, the surly landlord–who covers his face and seems reluctant to acknowledge her unless they’re discussing literature–soon becomes more fascinating than her research.
As her determination to unravel his secrets brings them closer, Eliza unearths the grim destiny of the ailing king and realizes that she holds the sole key to his salvation–if only he would allow himself to be saved.
Will she make a dutiful return to her indifferent fiancé? Or will she choose the risk of a lifetime and indulge her forbidden attraction to a stubborn and lonely mythical king who refuses her help at every turn?
Perfect for readers of Kathryn Moon and Lillian Lark, Alder King Spring is a dual-POV, full-length paranormal monster romance that draws inspiration from German folklore. It has a guaranteed HEA and features a grumpy/sunshine dynamic and a loose Beauty and the Beast retelling. See author’s website for more detailed content warnings.
Alder King Spring is the second in a series of small town standalones, each set in a different location and season. All books in the Wild Wandering series can be read in any order.
They’re called the Lost Ships … but sometimes they come back.
And when they do the crews are missing, while the ships have been strangely altered, rumoured to be full of horrors. Opal Imbiana has been seeking something her whole life. It’s a secret so precious she’s willing to risk her life recovering it from a recently discovered Lost Ship, in a lonely nebula far from colonised space. She’s just one woman, entering an alien and lethal environment. But with the aid of an amazing AI companion and experimental armoured suit, Opal might just stand a chance.
This blast of a book kickstarted the much-loved Lost Solace series, about an unlikely friendship between two women who keep hope alive in the darkest of times.
Karl Drinkwater is an author with a silly name and a thousand-mile stare. He writes dystopian space opera, dark suspense and diverse social fiction. If you want compelling stories and characters worth caring about, then you’re in the right place. Welcome!
Karl lives in Scotland and owns two kilts. He has degrees in librarianship, literature and classics, but also studied astronomy and philosophy. Dolly the cat helps him finish books by sleeping on his lap so he can’t leave the desk. When he isn’t writing he loves music, nature, games and vegan cake. Go to karldrinkwater.uk to view all his books grouped by genre. As well as crafting his own fictional worlds, Karl has supported other writers for years with his creative writing workshops, editorial services, articles on writing and publishing, and mentoring of new authors. He’s also judged writing competitions such as the international Bram Stoker Awards, which act as a snapshot of quality contemporary fiction.
DON’T MISS OUT! Enter your email at karldrinkwater.substack.com to be notified about his new books. Fans mean a lot to him, and replies to the newsletter go straight to his inbox, where every email is read. There is also an option for paid subscribers to support his work: in exchange you receive additional posts and complimentary books.
My thoughts: I am a big fan of this series and if you’ve been following me for a while now, you’ll know I’ve written about the whole series as well as reviewed several of the books. Karl is also very approachable and friendly, so do follow him online and subscribe to his Substack if you’re interested.
Lost Solace is the first book and introduces us to our protagonist Opal and her mission. She’s hunting for the mysterious Lost Ships, following rumours and every lead she can. She’s stolen the ship she’s in for that reason and the AI she names Clarissa is helping her to hunt down the ships. It’s a dangerous quest but she’s determined, somewhere out there is her little sister.
This book got me hooked and every sequel builds on Opal’s story and her quest, as well as the back story of the Lost Ships and the organisation hunting Opal.
It’s an absolutely cracking Sci-fi adventure, quest, detective series and you should definitely dive in. There’s also some lovely art work to enjoy too (see below).
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
A GLORIOUS SHERLOCK HOLMES-INSPIRED MYSTERY FOR FANS OF NITA PROSE AND JANICE HALLETT
London, 1932.
When Harriet White rebuffs the advances of her boss at the Baker Street building society where she works, she finds herself demoted to a new position… a very unusual position. Deep in the postal department beneath the bank, she is tasked with working her way through a mountain of correspondence addressed to Baker Street’s most famous resident: Mr Sherlock Holmes. Seemingly undeterred by the fact that Sherlock Holmes doesn’t exist, letter after letter arrives, beseeching him to help solve mysteries, and Harry diligently replies to each writer with the same response: Mr Holmes has retired from detective work and now lives in Sussex, keeping bees. Until one entreaty catches her eye. It’s from a village around five miles from Harry’s family estate, about a young woman who went to London to work as a domestic, then disappeared soon afterwards in strange circumstances. Intrigued, Harry decides, just this once, to take matters into her own hands. And so, the case of the missing maid is opened…
Holly Hepburn has wanted to write books for as long she can remember but she was too scared to try. One day she decided to be brave and dipped a toe into the bubble bath of romantic fiction with her first novella, Cupidity, and she’s never looked back. She often tries to be funny to be funny, except for when faced with traffic wardens and border control staff. Her favourite things are making people smile and Aidan Turner. She’s tried many jobs over the years, from barmaid to market researcher and she even had a brief flirtation with modelling. These days she is mostly found writing. She lives near London with her grey tabby cat, Portia. They both have an unhealthy obsession with Marmite.
My thoughts: assigned to the basement of the Abbey Road Building Society, which for many years occupied Baker Street, including 221B – home of the road’s most famous resident – Sherlock Holmes, Harriet ‘Harry’ White, is assigned the role of answering the stacks of post sent to the detective.
For the most part she replies as his secretary, thanking people for writing and apologising that the great detective is retired, as per The Last Bow, and no longer taking on cases. However one catches her eye, involving a family from the village on her family estate, and she endeavors to investigate it.
In doing so she recruits family friend Oliver, a solicitor, to help out, dresses up in disguises and attempts to act like the famous Holmes, even if he’s fictional.
This is great fun, funny and witty. Harry is a delightful protagonist and a determined investigator. She also manages to continue to answer the stacks of letters.
Having been to the Sherlock Holmes museum in Baker Street, where these letters now go, although I don’t think they get answered these days, it was lovely to think that someone was writing back and allowing people to continue to believe that someone out there was Holmes, even though as he lived in the Victorian era, he’d be very dead by now.
This is the start of a series and based on this first book and the author’s previous work, this should be a great series. The characters are fun, the story entertaining and clever, I can’t wait!
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
A brand new autumnal story of love, believing in yourself and starting over set in the Scottish Highlands
For Bailey McArthur, her family and job mean everything. She runs her own floristry shop and loves spending time in nature in the pretty town of Heather Moore, whilst desperately trying to forget about being jilted on her wedding day.
When journalist Zach Stern arrives in town asking questions about a famous actor, Bailey decides to throw him off the trail of the superstar hiding out in the Scottish Highlands.
But despite Bailey’s efforts to thwart Zach’s investigation, she finds herself falling for him. It’s just a shame she can’t be honest with him. But then, Bailey might not be the only one with a secret to hide…
Publication Dates – 23 August (E-Book) & 29 August (Paperback)
Author Bio – Julie Shackman is a former journalist from Scotland, who has always wanted to write feel-good romance.
As well as being an author, Julie also writes verses and captions for greetings card companies. Julie admits to having an obsession with stationery and handbags.
She is married, has two sons and adopted a Romanian rescue puppy, Cooper.
A Scottish Highland Hideaway is Julie’s eleventh novel.
From the author of A Most English Princess comes a rich novel about young Princess Alix of Hesse — the future Alexandra, last Empress of Imperial Russia— and her sister, Princess Ella.
Their decision to marry into the Romanov royal family changed history. They were granddaughters of Queen Victoria and two of the most beautiful princesses in Europe. Princesses Alix and Ella were destined to wed well and wisely. But while their grandmother wants to join them to the English and German royal families, the sisters fall in love with Russia—and the Romanovs. Defying the Queen’s dire warnings, Ella weds the tsar’s brother, Grand Duke Serge. Cultivated, aloof, and proud, Serge places his young wife on a pedestal for all to admire. Behind palace gates, Ella struggles to secure private happiness. Alix, whisked away to Russia for Ella’s wedding, meets and captivates Nicky—heir apparent to the Russian throne. While loving him deeply, Alix hears a call of conscience, urging her to walk away. Their fateful decisions to marry will lead to tragic consequences for not only themselves and their families, but for millions in Russia and around the globe.
The Romanov Brides is a moving and fascinating portrait of two bold and spirited royal sisters, and brings to vivid life imperial Russia—a dazzling, decadent world on the brink of disappearing forever.
Clare McHugh is the author of A Most English Princess, a historical novel about the family of Queen Victoria, and The Romanov Brides. A former newspaper reporter and magazine editor, McHugh graduated from Harvard College with a degree in European history. She currently lives in London and in Amagansett, NY.
My thoughts: I am endlessly fascinated by the history of Russia, ruled for almost a thousand years by the same family, the Romanovs, until their terrible end in 1918 at the hands of a firing squad, although other members of the family met even more horrific endings – like Ella, one of the main characters in this book.
But before the Revolution of 1917 and the downfall of the autocratic, and tyrannical Romanovs (Britain ended feudalism in the 1600s for comparison), and I am fully aware of how much damage the family did over the centuries, there is a beautiful love story between the daughters of the royal house of Hesse, grand-daughters of Queen Victoria, and two of the princes of Russia – Grand Duke Serge and Nicky, the future Tsar.
Hesse in Germany is where the story begins, Ludwig the Grand Duke is married to Princess Alice of Britain, daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, their nine children married into the Royal families of Europe, forming ties across the continent.
The daughters of Hesse are beautiful, intelligent and well connected. They have suffered tragedy with the early deaths of some of their siblings and their mother.
When some of their Russian relatives visit, Ella finds herself falling for Grand Duke Serge, brother of the Tsar Alexander (known as Sasha). The family are against this match, especially her grandmother who had anti-Russian beliefs. In part due to religious differences – between the German Protestant Lutheran church and the Russian Orthodox, the two churches have very different beliefs and practices.
However Ella refuses to give up on love and eventually overcomes her family’s concerns to marry Serge. Sadly it isn’t the most wonderful marriage that she imagined, but they find a way to live together.
On a family visit to Russia, to see her sister, Alix (Alexandra, known as Alicky or Sunny to her family) meets the tsarevich (prince) Nicky, the future Nicholas II. He’s exciting and charming, handsome and devoted to her. But once again the royal family is against the match, for political and religious reasons. Queen Victoria tries to pair Alix with her grandson Eddy, even though first cousins marrying is a bad idea, something that is only just being recognised.
Alix doesn’t care for Eddy, she cannot get Nicky out of her head or heart. But refuses him as she feels her father needs her.
These star crossed lovers do eventually marry and despite the timing of their wedding, it is a grand spectacle that is attended by Bertie, future King of England as well as members of the royal families of Europe.
The book is beautifully written and captivating, knowing how it all ends in tragedy doesn’t detract from reading about the joy of being young and falling in love. My favourite character was the tiny and cranky Queen Victoria, trying to get her large family to fall in line and struggling with her strong willed grandchildren (can’t work out where they got that from!) I also loved Ernie, the sole boy in the Hesse family, who always has his sisters’ backs and loves them.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 